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Anti-inflammatory meds may ease symptoms of depression

"The analysis should be seen as a significant milestone," said Ole Kohler.

By Brooks Hays

AARHUS, Denmark, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A new scientific survey suggests basic painkiller or anti-inflammatory meds may help treat depression.

The meta-analysis, undertaken by researchers at Denmark's Aarhus University, looked at the results of 14 different drug trials involving more than 6,262 patients suffering from depression or individual symptoms of depression.

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The survey found that patients who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, in conjunction with their antidepressant medication saw better results in reducing symptoms -- the first time researchers have been able to forge a conclusive correlation between the two variables.

"When combined they give an important result which, in the long term, strengthens the possibility of being able to provide the individual patient with more personalized treatment options," study author Ole Kohler, a medical student at Aarhus, said in a press release.

Scientists aren't entirely positive about the mechanism that's at work, but increasingly, studies have found connections between depression and physical ailments -- upset stomach, headaches, infections, and more. NSAIDs may help ease feelings of depression by mitigating the disorder's physical side effects.

The researchers say there's still much more research that needs be done before exact treatment recommendations can be offered; scientists want to find out what kinds and doses of NSAID meds work best.

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"We still need to clarify which patients will benefit from the medicine and the dose-sizes required," Kohler said. "The analysis should be seen as a significant milestone in a research context and this could be a landmark for what future research projects and treatment need to focus on."

The study was published this week in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

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